#1 Sedum ’Herbstfreude’

Dead easy to dry – just cut and place in a container, no water needed. It stays pretty for a long time!

Sedum ’Herbstfreude’

#2 Hydrangea ’Annabelle’

Have a look at my post about how to dry Hydrangeas. When it comes to this type of Hydrangea, ’Annabelle’, make sure the blooms have turned from cream white to lime green before drying. Otherwise they might loose their form.

Hydrangea ’Annabelle’

#3 Feather Reed Grass ”Karl Foerster”

This grass turns into the most beautiful feather-light form when dried. Just cut and put in a container, no water needed. It might last as long as the first two but in my opinion it’s still worth bringing inside and enjoying for a few weeks.

Feather Reed Grass ”Karl Foerster”

Dried flowers are perfect for the darkest corners of the home. They bring a feeling of nature in spots where house plants won’t grow.

I got my hands on some Heather (Calluna vulgaris) and decided to make a wreath.

You can make a this wreath with pretty much any plant that does well when dried. Lavender would be my favorite.

Step 1 – Get your materials

You will need:

a wreath form (I used a 20 inch metal form but any type and size is fine)

floral wire

wire cutters (I used scissors. It would but I would’t recommend it ;-p)

Step 2 – Make bundles

Separate the Heather into bundles and wrap them using the floral wire. You will need around 20-30 bundles, depending on the size of you wreath form.

Adjust the size of the bundles based on the size of your wreath form. Bigger forms require wider bundles – smaller forms do better with narrow bundles.

Step 3 – Tie the first bundle

Tie the first bundle to the wreath form. Make sure it’s tight!

Step 4 – Tie the remaining bundles

Continue to tie the bundles to the form on top of each other. Do every second one facing slightly inwards vs slightly outwards.

Step 5 – Check your wreath

Have a look at your wreath and make sure it looks symmetrical. Prune branches that might be sticking out or add an extra bundle to any area that might need it.

Disclaimer: At this point I realised that I wanted the bundles to start at the bottom and go upwards on both sized (not around in a circle). I redid all the bundles on the right side and had them facing upwards instead. It took some extra time and was was a bit of a pain but still worth it. It would have bugged me if I hadn’t fixed it .

Step 6 – Add decorations

It’s time for the decorations! It’s completely up to you how and how much extra stuff you want to add. You could just go with a nice piece of lace and be done with it.

I chose rowan-berries and hydrangea blooms since I had them in my garden.

Rowan-berriesHydrangea ’Little Lime’

Tuck the decoration into the wreath. Use wire if needed. I just poked the hydrangea and berry stems in between the Heather and messed around with them until I liked the way they looked.